Type of organisation (legal status, main areas and type of activity)

Kaunas Regional Distance Education Study Centre (KRDESC) at Kaunas University of Technology is the department of Kaunas University of Technology. The aim of KDESC is to promote the creation of the Information Society in Lithuania by developing distance education and improving its quality.

Size of organisation, in terms of the total number of personnel (use full-time equivalents)

Total number of personnel: 3500 (University staff, from which 20 are in KRDESC). The equivalent of less then one full-time employee will be directly involved with the project.

Evidence of experience of the organisation of the women’s employment issues and experience in international co-operation

One of the major KRDESC’s tasks is to create the infrastructure for the developing and delivering of distance education courses.

Kaunas Regional Distance Education Study Centre (KRDESC) in cooperation with international partners produced web based DE courses EUROLAW (European Law in the Fields of Trade and Services, Legislation of the Single Market and Consumer Law); EUROLI (European Law and Institutions) and printed material based courses MEBA (Upgrading of English Language Skills for Adults up to Intermediate Level) and AGRIPO (Agriculture and Pollution: Environmental Problems and Practical Solutions) within the framework of the EU Phare Programme "Multi-country Co-operation in Distance Education" and implemented by European Training Foundation in 1997 – 1999.

In cooperation with Open Society Fund Lithuania, Kaunas Regional DE Study Centre also produced a DE course "Informatics. Part 1" - course of basic skill of computer users (in Lithuanian).

The DE course "Informatics. Part 1" is orientated to correspondent students who are not taking consultations with a teacher during semesters. Individual studying doesn’t require constant supervision of teachers or course administrators and can be successfully used by adults, students, and others who are willing to get acquainted with computers.

Centre is implementing the project "Development of Distance Education in Lithuania (LieDM)" which is financed by Lithuanian government investment programme. During LieDM project, there was created the infrastructure for the synchronous - real time based distance learning process; where established ten remote classrooms and one Central teaching studio in 8 Lithuanian cities were established. The study process is based on videoconferences. KRDESC is responsible for the managing of this network and for delivering courses from Central teaching studio. Presently number of separate videoconferences-based courses and one whole program for 2 years "Pedagogical Professional Studies" are running. The Multimedia laboratory was also established according to the LieDM project at Kaunas Regional Distance Education Study Centre. The Centre purchased and installed servers, software and equipment needed for creation of DE courses on Internet, CD, Video tapes etc.

The KRDESC also participates in another national project - "Methodological Research in Distance Education". This project unites number of educational institutions, which are involved in Distance Education development. During the complex research, recommendations how distance learning process must be organised and how distance courses should be delivered have to be prepared.

In addition to these activities KRDESC takes part in the international projects (PHARE, Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates, UNESCO, etc.) which aim at development of various distance education courses in the Internet, CD and other environments.